Owner seeks new zoning for site of former Marathon station in Sycamore

The Outpost has been vacant since the Marathon gas station moved a block and a half up East State Street in August. Now the owner, Carls Oil, wants to rezone the site to Central Business District zoning, which would open the the range of business types that can go there.

Kevin Solari - ksolari@shawmedia.com

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A public hearing for the rezoning proposal is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 13 in the Sycamore City Chambers at 308 W. State St.

SYCAMORE – The owners of the old Marathon gas station at 503 E. State St. are asking the city to rezone the property to open up the variety of businesses that could occupy the site.

The zoning issue request, which will come before the Sycamore Plan Commission on Nov. 13, asks to change the zoning classification from C-1, neighborhood business district, to C-2 central business district, which is found in most of downtown.

“There is a lot more retail in C-2,” City Manager Brian Gregory said.

The gas station building has sat empty since the owners opened up a new Marathon a block away. In December, when Carls Oil sought a permit to open at the new location, President Randy Carls said the old site wouldn’t remain empty.

“We don’t want to see it go dark,” Carls said at the time. “I’m pretty confident that you’ll see something there and functional.”

The underground fuel storage tanks at the site, one of the biggest obstacles when repurposing a former gas station, have been removed, Gregory said.

The Marathon station that was once at 503 E. State St.moved in August to 439 E. State St., the former site of a Wendy’s that was taken down after a fire in 2015.

In December, when he received City Council approval for the new station, Carls said there were issues with pulling in and out of the the old station parking lot and onto State Street during peak travel times. When the new station opened in August, Carls said he wanted to open something in the site as soon as possible.